After reporting in the Android world with the Slate 7 tablet, the convertible SlateBook x2 or the all-in-one 21 Slate, HP continues its allegiance to Google. Here, Google has partnered with HP to create a new notebook based on Chrome OS. Better known as the HP Chromebook 11 and has just been presented by the company in Mountain View.

Value for Money

Keeping the competition apart, Google has tried to realize the output of this model for wider audience and for that reason the cost of this notebook kept at $279. It offers good performance, simplicity you expect of a product of this kind, and some unique design elements and modern.

The new HP Chromebook 11 is really thin and is one of the lightest laptops on the market. Remember a little design in the white MacBook that Apple has launched several years ago, HP has constructed the netbook with magnesium alloy and has rounded corners.

It is ideal for travelers, since there will be no need to take an extra charger – HP and Google have integrated battery recharges via micro-USB, the port used to charge a smartphone or a tablet with Android. It is one of the unique selling point for this Chromebook. The micro-USB port can function as HDMI port, but you would need a special cable so that it can connect to a TV or monitor.

The Chromebook 11 can work with the Chromecast, allowing its use as a wireless alternative to HDMI. By buying this new laptop, Google is offering Google Storage 100GB Drive for two years, 60 days Google Test Music All Access (subscription music service from Google) and 12 free sessions flights via GoGo Inflight wireless Internet.

Chromebook 11 Design

Any improvements Chromebook 11 is located in the design and tuning. Google said the new Chromebook model will be more solid magnesium frame, so it will not bend when you hold in a corner, and it will be milder form of the Samsung Chromebook. In other words, Google and HP are trying to solve the limitations that they have seen in the previous Samsung or Acer Chromebook, such as poor durability–you can click on the trackpad panels by clicking the bottom edge of the machine.

The Chromebook 11 is made of plastic, but should be firm by the magnesium frame.  The device is very light, weighing just over 1 kilogram. It will be available in two different colors, white and black, and with different shades that you can choose between blue, yellow, red and green.

All connections are on the left and the speakers are located under the keyboard, which according to Google to ensure that the sound is not muted when Chromebook users move the laptop here and there.

Chromebook 11 runs naturally on Chrome OS and features a Samsung Exynos 5250 dual-core ARM processor, a screen that can display a resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels and 2GB RAM. The device has only 16GB of internal memory, but there is still 100GB cloud storage over at Google. The Chromebook 11 features two USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a VGA webcam and a Slim Port video output.

While HP’s Chromebook 11 sticks with the ARM-based processors, Acer’s Chromebook C720 utilizes the newer Haswell chip system. The Acer system also packs an extra 2GB of RAM and has a native HDMI out-port (no adapter required), USB 3.0, and a microSD card reader.

The Chromebook 11 screen is not touch sensitive and its resolution is 1,366 x 768 pixels, along with a significant improvement in the colors and viewing angle thanks to TN panels that had already been seen in other computers of the same type.

The laptop, according to HP will get a battery life of 6.5 hours, which is less than the 10 hours that the previous Chromebook Pixel eternity offers made by Samsung.

The Drawbacks

The drawback is it relies heavily on the Internet to run various services, so you’ll need to plan ahead if you’re looking to buy this notebook. That’s because the Chromebook doesn’t run Windows or Mac OS, like the majority of laptops. Rather, it uses Google’s Chrome OS system, which needs a steady Internet connection.

Chromebooks aren’t meant for graphic designers who use sophisticated software, such as Adobe’s Photoshop, or business executives who rely on Microsoft’s PowerPoint slides. These notebooks are for lighter use such as for people who primarily use Google’s online services, including search, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, and Google’s players for music and video.

Google Chromebooks have gained popularity, especially with very low prices, and the new Chromebook unveiled is another proof of that. Google have collaborated more with HP in the Chromebook 11 design than with previous products Samsung and Acer. In a way, this laptop be an alternative looking tablet, its low price, good design and how light it is.